This Ericson sistership named Great Escape was sailing downwind with the current.
We soon pulled the jib out to full for more power in the moderate winds and began beating up the cityfront to stay out of the stronger flood current further out on the bay and then the wind shifted into the southwest and we were able to make good progress toward the gate on port tack close reach as this small sailboat crossed in front of us from the north.
As we sailed westward, this sailboat well behind us was heading toward the central bay from the north.
As we approached Yellow Bluff, this odd looking craft steamed past us, carrying a truck that does septic pump out. I wonder where it was coming from and where heading and where it lands to drive the truck off to perform its service.
The Golden Gate Bridge was enjoying hazy sunshine as we approached the shore near Yellow Bluff.
These two sailboats of very different sizes were sailing up the shore of Yellow Bluff and we tacked to give them right of way even though they owed it to us as the windward boats on port tack.
We began beating toward the gate agains the southwesterly breeze and the flood current, sailing into Horseshoe Cove on one tack and so passing Fort Baker and the small marina there in the cove.
We then began short tacking to try to sail out the gate just south of the north tower, but the wind at the gate was too light and the current too strong to enable us to sail out and we were being driven backwards by the current. So we tacked to sail across the gate, just ghosting along and being pushed eastward by the flood current faster than we were making headway toward the shore of the city. The breeze freshened in the south half of the bay, but we were well east of Blackaller by the time we neared the shore of the city and tacked to head out the gate.
As we now made some good headway toward the gate with some countercurrent ebb assist for a while, our old pal ADVENTURE CAT, was heading toward home port after motorsailing out the gate.
We sailed to just inside the gate on the southwesterly breeze and then the flood stronger flood current kept us from shooting the gate and moving us northward until we were about halfway between midspan and the north tower where the softer current enabled us to sail out the gate for Janet's first time.
We just sailed out a short ways and then came about and headed back inside, now making fast headway with the flood current assist, while over by the shore of the city, this boat was heading for the gate the same way we did earlier...
... as was this one.
They both approached the gate, as we did and seemed to suffer the same fate of being pushed sideways by the current while trying to sail out.
We eventually encountered some stronger breeze to give us faster headway toward home port and Janet took the helm for a while.
The city was enjoying hazy sunshine through the thin cloud cover as we approached home port.
Flags on the end of pier 39 were fluttering in a breeze of about 10-15 knots as we sailed past. It had taken us only 40 minutes to sail back from the gate, while beating to the gate had taken 2.5 hours.
We sailed into the lee of pier 35 to douse sails and then motored around the pier into the marina, landing fine in the strong flood current flowing through the marina. It was an unexpected pleasure to be able to spend almost 4 hours out there with full canvas flying instead of fighting heavy winds with reefed sails!
No comments:
Post a Comment